Additional Articles

Common Management Missteps in a Down Economy

Staff reductions prompted by the economic downturn have left
many managers scrambling to find ways to get more out of their
remaining employees. In a well-intentioned attempt to balance
productivity and cost-savings, however, mistakes are often made
that contribute instead to a decline in staff motivation and
loyalty.

Ensuring the Runner-Up for Your Job Doesn't Hijack Your Authority

Getting to Know You: How to Start Right With a New Boss

A major change in the workplace is always unsettling, even for
financial professionals who accept it as a staple of today's
business world. But when the impending change involves
welcoming a new supervisor, it can be especially unnerving.

Tapping Online Resources When Evaluating Job Candidates

Sick Leave Smarts

Signing bonuses, window views, and several weeks' vacation may
be flashier benefits, but you shouldn't overlook disability
insurance when shopping around for a job. What happens if you
flip over your bicycle handlebars or are diagnosed with a
serious illness and have to miss work? Will you lose your job?
Will you still get paid? The key, we've learned, is to ask.

What It Takes to Go Freelance

Your Career Action Plan for the New Year

People make New Year's resolutions with the best intentions,
but they often fail for lack of a solid action plan. If you've
resolved to move your career forward into a new industry,
occupation or level of responsibility, increase your chances of
success with this three-part action plan focused on results.

Managing Effectively

As a manager, you have a direct impact on the well-being of
your employees. While maintaining an open-door policy and
listening to the concerns of those you supervise are important
acts that help establish a positive working relationship with
staff members, there are additional steps you can take to
motivate and inspire your employees. Following are some tips.

Managing a Crisis Into a Better Career

Which Movie Character's Job Would You Steal?

Hollywood stars have glamorous lives, beautiful spouses and
stratospheric paychecks. But between their on-again-off-again
romances, legal troubles and paparazzi stalkers, sometimes it's
not the lives of the rich and famous that make us seethe with
envy. Instead, it's the glamorous lives of their movie
characters that really have us turning green.

Body Art in the Workplace

Nearly 40 years after "flower power," body art has seen a
resurgence. Men and women flaunt pierced navels at the beach,
sterling silver glinting in the sun. Tattoo parlors have popped
up in suburban areas in response to the demands of the younger
generations, while some Baby Boomers are reviving their
flirtations with their inky past.

Unlikely Majors of Well-Known Celebrities

Sure, she can baste the pants off of most people in any room,
but what can Martha Stewart teach them about ancient Egyptian
artifacts? Well, probably more than you think. After all,
Stewart holds a bachelor's degree in history and architectural
history from Barnard College, a background that doesn't usually
guarantee a future as a home design expert, business CEO and
reality-television star. But that didn't stop Stewart. Read on
for more surprising celebrity majors.

Highest-Paying Jobs in the US

No Thank You Could Mean No Job

It's one of the simplest things you can do. Your mother mother
told you to always say it. By expressing it -- or not -- you
can change a person's mood and perception of you in an instant.
Who knew two words could be so powerful?

More Great Excuses for Calling in Sick

It's 6 a.m. and you are about to throw the alarm clock out the
window. It's too cold out, you're tired, you had one glass of
wine too many last night, you've really got to clean your
house, and, most importantly, you haven't had some real bonding
time with your couch lately.

Pimp My Cube

Think it's entertaining to watch MTV's "Pimp My Ride" turn a
beater car into a showpiece? Imagine seeing a 10 x 10-foot
cubicle transformed into a vehicle for productivity and
advancement! Better yet, try it out for yourself. Here are nine
easy and affordable ways to make over your cube and improve
your image and outlook at work:

Eight Sticky Work Situations and How to Handle Them

Managing Your Micromanager: How to Keep Your Boss Happy

"Micromanagement" describes a situation in which all aspects of
a workday, down to the most insignificant tasks, are observed
by an overbearing manager. Luckily, there are some steps you
can take to help keep a micromanager in check.

Money Management Guide

18 Ways to Impress a New Employer

It can take four to 14 months to find the right job... and
fewer than 90 days to lose it. According to executive coach
Linda Seale, most professional and managerial dismissals are
due to failure to understand and fit into a company's culture.

5 Facts You Must Know When Changing Careers

Are TV Characters' Salaries Realistic?

From Orange County to Wisteria Lane, TV characters always seem
to be well-dressed, debt-free and driving expensive cars up to
their pristine homes. But despite their alluring jobs, most of
these characters would be solidly middle-class in the real
world. Take a look at how much some TV characters would really
be bringing home each year.

Can Your Personality Get You Fired?

Job candidates rarely admit to being fired for poor
performance... and they might just be telling the truth. A
Harvard University study found that for every dismissal based
on failure to perform, there are two dismissals due to
personality and communication problems.

Top 10 April Fools' Pranks to Play at Work

Help! I'm Stuck in the Wrong Career

Are you a copywriter trapped in an accountant's body? Or are
you a sales manager who longs to be a clinical therapist? Not
everyone gets things right coming out of the gate. Our first
job tends to be doing something we may or may not have real
talent for, in an industry that doesn't really interest us.

Can You Be Fired for Blogging?

It was Merriam-Webster Online's No. 1 word of 2004, and Fortune
magazine named it the No. 1 tech trend for 2005. Two surveys by
the Pew Internet & American Life Project in November 2004
found that 8 million people say they have created one and
almost one-third of Internet users say they read one. But it's
still a mystery: Six-of-ten Internet users say they don't know
what "blog" means.

"Getting Fired Was the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me!"

Meeting Management - Making the Most of Your Time Together

There are few things as frustrating as a poorly run meeting.
Especially when all you can think about is the "real" work you
could be getting done if you were not stuck in the conference
room. Here are some basic guidelines to help you manage your
meeting time.

The New Grad's Survival Guide

Too Good to Be True? Six Common Job Scams

Lured by convenience and seemingly easy money, more and more
people are falling prey to job scams. Particularly vulnerable
are people who want or need to work from home and those who are
looking supplement their income. Those who fall victim can
suffer serious consequences including debt collection and
criminal charges.

Business Casual Tips for Summer

We've been waiting months to store away our away our scarves
and sweaters. But there's a down side to the balmy weather:
Even if you take off your suit jacket, the shirt underneath it
is plastered to your sweaty back before you board your train.

Graduating With A Plan Of Action

Being Politically Correct at Work

Political correctness does not just mean watching what you say.
In its best sense, being politically correct means learning
about others and respecting the differences that make each of
us unique. In the workplace, there are steps you can take to
make sure you are not only following the "PC rules," but are
also making your life richer.

Weirdest Job Seeker Stunts

Your Resume: The Key to Getting an Interview

We've all been through it. The waiting -- endless waiting --
for the phone to ring with the hope that, maybe, just maybe,
one of the resumes you sent out this week will get through to
the right person... and he'll like what he sees.

The New Grad Catch-22

Come to the Fair -- Prepared!

Job fairs are a great way to shop for new job opportunities,
network and make personal contacts with recruiters at various
organizations. Here are some techniques recommended by experts
to ensure that your performance at the fair doesn't turn into a
circus:

What's Your Sign? Hot Jobs for Your Horoscope

Come on, admit it. You sneak a peak at your horoscope now and
then, don't you? And even though horoscopes aren't always
correct, every once in a while you read one so dead-on it makes
you reconsider your feelings about this whole astrology thing.

Five Must-Haves for New Grads

A Mentor of Your Own

Forging a career path is a long process. It involves evaluating
your goals, weighing your options, making difficult decisions,
and learning from your experiences so that you can reevaluate
and make new choices. There is, however, a shortcut on this
path. People all around you have made similar decisions and
learned the lessons-and their wisdom is there for the taking.

When Your Skills Aren't a Perfect Match

In the course of a job search, it's very common for job seekers
to locate openings that closely match their skills and
experience but are not a perfect fit. So what do you do when
the description fits you to a tee but your skills fall just a
little short?

Bad Attitude

Chummy Boss

Having sensitive information about your coworkers can wear a
conscience down. Should you hoard the information? Pass it
along to the grapevine? Hint to your coworker that it's always
a good idea to keep one's resume current? They call it "dirt"
for a reason.

What should I do if my job title is inflated?

Is Cyber-Coaching Catching On?

After graduation, formal career guidance becomes nonexistent
and young professionals are often on their own to navigate the
new world of work. An increasing number of people are seeking
answers to their career-related questions from online career
coaches. But while cyber-coaches can provide a multitude of
advantages, they can't help with every aspect of the career
search. Learn about the advantages and disadvantages of working
with a coach online.

Bored, Trapped in Your Job? Maybe It's Time to Move On

Wise Beyond Your Years: The Challenges of Young Managers

Your baby face has never been such a liability. Young
professionals with "fresh energy and new perspective" are being
tapped for management positions, but age-related skepticism is
a challenge for these new managers.

Putting It On Paper

Speak Your Mind

You're filled with visionary ideas about everything from
streamlining your company's file system to expanding into
international markets. Whatever your status within the company,
you should learn how much space you have to share ideas before
you inadvertently overstep your bounds.

The Birds, The Bees, and the Business

All it takes is a casual lunch here and a happy hour there, and
before you know it, you have yourself an office relationship.
But beware: Secrecy, intimacy, and risk are generally not
recommended tools for career advancement.

Romance Rules

With the workplace becoming the most likely place for Americans
to meet romantic partners, what exactly are the rules about
fraternizing with officemates? While policies vary
company-to-company, here are some guidelines.

Assessing Your Employer's Health Insurance Options

Confused about which medical plan to choose? This mini-guide
will explain the basics of your health care insurance options,
including the difference between HMOs, PPOs, and indemnity
coverage, and give you some smart suggestions for evaluating
and selecting a plan that's right for you.

How do I get the raise I thought I was promised?

How do I trade off long-term incentives for short-term ones?

You can run the numbers to compare whether you'll be better off
with one total compensation package versus another. But you've
also got to account your comfort level with the mix of types of
pay, and the associated risks.

Intangible Benefits

As contrary as it may seem, most people in the U.S. workforce
have some choice in what they do for a living and where they
work. That means most workers can hold out for a job with some
degree of intangible benefits such as personal fulfillment,
positive corporate culture, and meaning.

Career Maintenance: You're set, now what?

Is the grass greener somewhere else?

Benefits represent an additional 25 to 67 percent on top of
base pay, so if your employer's base pay appears to be lower
than what you could get somewhere else, make sure you look at
the total compensation package.

Look Before You Leap

Is this really a lateral move?

When managers create new positions, they sometimes consider
moves to be "lateral" that in reality bear additional
responsibilities. The key to assessing the value of a job is to
look closely at the associated tasks and responsibilities.

Can an exempt position become nonexempt?

Remembering Names

You arrive at a new job and notice that every coworker has a
nickname, first name, last name; sometimes an honorific, a
hyphen here or there, an accent and a diacritical mark. If only
their parents, like mine, had understood the brand equity
inherent in the one-word name.

Opening Day Jitters

It's a close call whether the trading room floor on the day of
IPO or Vanity Fair's Academy Awards bash is more thrilling.
After the awards you can sip champagne and dance new Latin
steps in dresses made of scarves. But at your own IPO, you are
clearly a winner.

Your Professional Debut: How to Get the Most Out of Your First Job

The Hard Case for Soft Skills

As traditionally "corporate" cultures become more horizontal
and intimate, soft skills are becoming essential to the success
of businesses. Employees must be able to work as part of a
team, find and communicate solutions, and be effective
managers.

Looking for Good Benefits

There's No Place Like a Home Office

One of the most cherished aspects of telecommuting for workers
and employers alike is the productivity that comes from
maximizing your time and working in a convenient location. Who
are the 21 million people who have the luxury of working in
their pajamas every day?

Everything is Negotiable

It's all negotiable. Every new job - every performance review,
in fact - is an opportunity to negotiate base salary, various
kinds of bonuses, benefits, stock options, and other incentives
that add to job satisfaction and provide financial security.

Help Someone Else, Help Yourself

Benefits Basics

Compensation is more than just base pay. It is a total package
that should address your overall well-being - financial,
physical, emotional, even spiritual. As companies compete for
talent in tight labor markets, many are rolling out better
benefits to attract and retain the best workers.

Whatever Happened to Leisure Time?

Forty years ago, economists predicted that the U.S. workforce
was heading into a crisis of leisure - that people would soon
have so much free time, they wouldn't know what to do with it.
As the impact of technology made more and more human labor
redundant, it was widely assumed that a four-hour workday, or a
three-day week, or even a six-month year would eventually be
the norm.

Sample Policy for Time Off

Military Leave

Updated laws and legislation protect members of the uniformed
services from certain workplace uncertainties, allowing
reservists and guardsmen to leave their civilian posts to serve
their country without having to worry about job security,
delayed compensation, revoked benefits, or other adverse
employer reactions.